Gilda needs heartworm treatment

On Sunday, September 14th, Paul arrived Red Lake Rosie's Rescue from Ponemah with a load of two dogs and two cats that were surrendered.

One of the dogs named Gilbert, much to my surprise, turned out to be a female, so I renamed her Gilda.  Gilda is a lovely shep mix about 3 years old.  She follows me around the shelter while we do chores, and is very obedient to go into her kennel when our day is over.

GILDA

The previous owner had Gilda at our clinic so she is already spayed.  Gilda was boosted for rabies, DHPP, and had the heartworm diagnostic test.  We hoped she would be negative, but we were not too surprised to find out that Gilda was another heartworm positive that will need treatment very soon.

We are hoping to have funds in our Heartworm Fund to be able to help this great dog.  If we treat her now we can expect her to test negative by Christmas.  This will give her an opportunity to be transferred to a rescue and get a forever home.

Thank you for helping Gilda get her Christmas wish.

Sincerely, Karen Good RLRR

Battling Heartworm

What do the Red Lake Rosie’s dogs Rayna, Fiona, Rocky, Teddy, Li'l Abner, Isabella and now Gilda all have in common?

ISABELLA

The answer is, all have heartworm and all require treatment costing up to $500 for diagnostic and retesting, and a two-day stay at the vet for treatment of immeticide injected in the back. The cost of the treatment is based on dog weight. These dogs have all been residents of the Red Lake Rosie’s shelter in 2014 and have been treated at the Cornerstone Veterinarian Service in Gonvick, Minnesota. Rocky was treated in Minneapolis.

LI'L ABNER

AREA OF BACK SHAVED FOR TREATMENT

There have been more cases at Red Lake Rosie’s that have also been treated by Pet Haven, All Dog, ACT V and ARVSS Rescues in 2014.

RAYNA

Due to the high population of mosquitos and lack of heartworm prevention on the Red Lake Reservation, most dogs over the age of 2, unfortunately, have heartworm.

ROCKY

The average life span of dogs here is about 2 years or less, therefore many more dogs would have heartworm should they live longer without the necessary heartworm protection. We have introduced the Red Lake companion animal owners to the concept of heartworm and provided heartguard. We are all becoming more educated about the disease, its causes, and how we can prevent our animals from getting this disease which will cause a prolonged illness and eventually a horrible death.

TEDDY

We are asking our big-hearted supporters if you are able to help provide a donation to a Heartworm Fund to help our dear Red Lake animals. Donations to the RLRR Heartworm Fund may be sent to Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue, 23880 South Good Road, Trail, MN 56684.

Thank you so much for your kindness.
Sincerely, Karen Good

FIONA

UPDATE:

On retesting Rayna and Fiona have tested negative!!

More about Heartworm: Chic & Alfie

Special Thanks from RLRR to Pet Haven for taking and treating Red Lake dogs with heartworm!

FROM PET HAVEN'S DOG BLOG:

Heartworms are parasites that are transmitted to dogs via mosquitoes. Giving your dog monthly heartworm preventative during the summer months can protect them from these nasty parasites. In Minnesota, it's generally recommended that you give your dog heartworm preventative from May - November (in warmer climates additional months or even year-round treatment may be recommended).

Depending on the level of infestation, heartworm treatment can be painful and dangerous (not to mention expensive) for dogs who do contract the nasty little buggers. Monthly heartworm preventative is not cheap, but it is inexpensive compared to the cost of treatment and the risk of pain (physical for the dog and emotional for the owner!) if your dog does contract heartworms. To learn more about heartworm in dogs, please click here. And please call your vet to schedule an appointment for a heartworm test & heartworm preventative prescription this spring.
Pet Haven currently has a couple of dogs in foster care who are being treated for heartworm infestation. Both are female shepherd mixes from Red Lake Rosie's Rescue (Chic, top, and Alfie, bottom). Both are hoping for donations to cover the cost of their care as well as foster homes to rest in while they finish out their treatment (if interested, please email pethavendogs@yahoo.com).
BREAKING NEWS: Alfie has a foster home! Read all about it at Pet Haven's dog blog.